Wrist restraint for golfers and bowlers

ABSTRACT

A WRIST RESTRAINT AND HAND TENSIONING DEVICE FOR USE BY GOLFERS AND BOWLERS. A WRIST ENCIRCLING BAND OF ELASTIC OR CLOTH IS PROVIDED. FINGER-ENCIRCLING LOOPS ARE CONNECTED TO ONE END OF A CORD WHICH EXTENDS ALONG THE BACK OF A HAND TO THE WRIST ENCIRCLING BAND. A FLAT RETAINING PLATE IS HELD IN A POCKET ON THE BAND AND ENGAGES THE FREE END OF THE CORD WHICH IS PROVIDED WITH A SERIES OF KNOTS.

9 1971 E. LEMON WRIST RESTRAINT FOR GOLFERS AND BOWLERS F IGJI Filed April 4, 1969 /|l\ l H 1 k 5?? F IG.

INVENTOR. GEORGE E. L EMON AGENT I United States Patent Olfice 3,606,343 Patented Sept. 20, 1971 3,606,343 WRIST RESTRAINT FOR GOLFERS AND BOWLERS George E. Lemon, 286 Lora Ave., Youngstown, Ohio 44504 Filed Apr. 4, 1969, Ser. No. 813,546 Int. Cl. A63b 69/36; A63d /00 US. Cl. 273189R 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a wrist tensioning device, and more particularly to such a device which may be .used by golfers and/or bowlers.

When bowling it is desirable that the wrist of the bowlers hand remain in a straight line with the bowlers arm and not cocked while delivering the ball. However, due to the substantial weight of the bowling ball, for example, sixteen pounds, it is frequently difiicult for a bowler tornaintain his wrist in the proper position while swinging his arm and the ball through an arc. It has been discovered that if tension is provided between the fingers and the wrist of the bowlers hand across'his palm that the bowlers control of his delivery of the ball is vastly improved. When golfing, it is also important that the golfer maintain his wrist in a straight position relative to his arm in order to properly swing the club and strike the ball squarely. Maintaining the wrists in such a position requires a high degree of control which is difficult for amateur golfers to achieve. -It has been found that if tension is provided between the fingers and the wrist of the golfers left hand along the outer side of the hand, assuming that the golfer is right-handed, the golfers control of the position of his hand and wrist is vastly improved.

It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a wrist and hand tensioning device which may be used by either golfers or bowlers to improve their control over their hands and wrists. It is also an object of the present invention to provide such a tensioning device in which the elastic members may be replaced if they become stretched or broken without necessitating replacement of the entire device. A further object of the present invention is the provision of a wrist and hand tensioning device in which the degree of tension applied may be varied as desired. Another object of the invention is the provision of a wrist tensioning device which is simple to install and of inexpensive construction.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following specification and the accompanying drawing wherein there is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a first embodiment of my invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the tensioning loops and the loop holding member of the assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the loop holding member of the assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a pictorial view of a second embodiment of my invention showing the device as worn on the left hand of a golfer, and showing an arrangement for varying the tension applied to the users hand;

FIG. 5 is a pictorial view of the embodiment of my invention shown in FIG. 4, showing the device as worn on the right hand of a bowler;

FIGS. 6 and 7 are pictorial views of a third embodiment of my invention; and

FIGS. 8 and 9 are pictorial views of a forth embodiment of my invention.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 the reference numeral 10 designates a wrist encircling band formed of cloth or an elastic material and provided at opposite ends with fastening means to permit the band 10 to be tightly wrapped and fastened about the users wrist. The fastening means may be in the form of a Velcro fastener in which a strip of material 11, having outwardly projecting loops may be fastened to the rear surface of the band 10 at its left end and a strip of material 12 having outwardly projecting hooks may be fastened to the front surface of the band 10* at its right end. It will be understood that other fastening means such as snaps or straps and buckles may be provided in place of the Velcro fasteners. A cloth or plastic patch 13 of a trapizodal configuration is positioned on the band 10 midway between its ends and with the shorter parallel edge of the patch coincident with one edge of the band 10. The patch 13 is secured to the band 10 along its nonparallel sides by stitches, for example, leaving an opening between the band 10 and the patch 13 along each of the parallel edges of the patch 13. A generally trapoizdal thin plastic member 14 is slideably received in the space between the patch 13' and the band 10. As will be seen from FIG. 3, the member 14 is provided along its longer parallel edge with a notch 15. A cord 16' is attached at one end to a pair of rubber or elastic loops 17 and is provided at its opposite end with a plurality of knots 18 and 19. The knots 18 and 19' are of sufficient size to be retained by the notch 15 of the member 14. The elastic loops 17 are fitted around the users middle and ring fingers, for example, and the cord 16 extends downwardly through the opening between the upper end of the patch 13 and the band 10 along the member 14 and through the notch 15. When the band has been tightly wrapped around the users wrist and the loops 17 positioned around his fingers, the amount of tension exerted on the fingers may be varied by catching one of the knots 18 or 19 in the notch 15. When, for example, the knot 19 is retained by the notch 15, as shown in FIG. 2, there will be little if any tension on the bands 17. In this position the device may be easily removed from or positioned on the users wrist. When additional tension is desired the cord 16 may be pulled downwardly until the knot 18 is retained in the notch 15. In this position the elastic loops 17 are somewhat stretched and tension is applied to the users fingers. It will be apparent that if additional knots are provided in the cord 16 the degree of tension applied may be varied as desired.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5 there is shown a second embodiment of my invention. In this embodiment there is provided a wrist encircling band 20 to which are attached a pair of rubber or leastic bands 21 which extend upwardly around the ring and middle fingers of the users hand. The elastic bands 21 extend through a pair of slots 22 in a rectangular plastic plate 23 which has a narrow section 24 on one side of the slots 22 and a wide section 25 on the opposite side of the slots 22. While not shown in the drawing, means are provided for attaching the band 20 to the users wrist. It will be apparent from a consideration of the positions of the plate 23 in FIGS. 4 and 5 that this plate provides an effective means for varying the tension of the plastic bands 21.

When the plate is in the position shown in FIG. 4, little or no tension is applied to the users fingers. However, when the plate is turned to the position shown in FIG. 5, the elastic to the users fingers. The large fiat portion 25 of the plate 23 is held between the users hand and the lower portion of the bands 21 and, thus, does not rotate back to its low tension position.

The third embodiment of my invention, shown in FIGS. 6 and 7,.provides another arrangement for varying the tension on the users hand. In this embodiment there is provided a wristencircling band 30. While not shown, this band is provided with suitable means for attaching and releasing the band 30 from the users wrist. A pair of hooks 31 are securely anchored to the band 30 along a line extending from the users arm to his hand. A pair of elastic bands 32 are anchored at their free ends to a plastic plate 33 which is provided with a plurality of holes 34. The plate 33 and bands 32 are fastened to the band 30 and to the users wrist by means of the books 31 passing through the holes 34 of the plate 33. Depending upon whether one or both of the hooks 31 and holes 34 are aligned a lesser or greater degree of tension will be applied to the users hand. The bands 32 may be provided with short tubular sleeves of, for example, a foam rubber material at the point at which the bands 32 pass around the users fingers. These sleeves 35 serve to cushion the bands 32 as they pass around the users fingers and to prevent the bands from cutting into the fingers.

FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate another embodiment of my invention in which an ordinary elastic band is used as the tensioning member. In this embodiment there is provided a wrist encircling band 40 having a pair of hooks 41 positioned parallel to the edge of the band 40. A wire frame 42 having a pair of spaced, parallel crossmembers 43 and 44 is fastened to the band 40 by means of the hooks 41. An elastic band 45 passes around the outer crossmember 43 and the ends of this band are passed around the users fingers. Depending upon whether the crossmember 43 or 44 is engaged by the hooks 41 a lesser or greater degree of tension will be applied to the users hand. In this embodiment, if the elastic band becomes broken it may be readily replaced without the need for sewing implements or any other tools as the band merely passes around the crossmember 43. Also, as this embodiment uses ordinary elastic bands, a broken band may be replaced inexpensively and there is no need to go to a sports equipment or other speciality shop to obtain the necessary replacement bands.

It will be apparent that changes other than those illustrated may be made to my invention without departing from the spirit thereof. For example, while only two elastic bands are shown a third band may be provided for engaging the users index finger.

It should also be apparent that I have provided a novel device for assisting golfers and bowlers in maintaining the proper control of their hands and Wrists. When the device is used by a golfer it may be applied to the left hand as shown in FIG. '4. In this position the elastic bands extend along the back of the hand and the tension applied to the fingers of the golfers hand by these bands tends to maintain the golfers hand and Wrist in the proper position so that his control of the golf club is maintained and the club, when swung, strikes the ball squarely driving it in the desired direction. A second tensioning device may also be worn by the golfer on his right hand in the position shown in FIG. 5 to provide tension on the right hand assisting the golfer in maintaining his hands in a proper position. The tension applied by this device also aids in swinging the club. When the device is used by the bowler, it may be worn on his right hand as shown in FIG. 5. In this position the elastic bands extend along the palm of the users hand and the tension applied to the users hand by these bands tends to pull the users hand into a cupped position While maintaining the users Wrist straight relative to his arm. When the bowler is moving his arm and hand downwardly in the delivery of the bowling ball the tension applied to his fingers helps to support the weight of the ball and helps to maintain the bowlers hand in a straight position relative to his arm. The wrist encircling band also aids in supporting the wrist and preventing undesired bending. Since the amount of tension applied to the users hand may be varied as desired it is not necessary to provide a large number of dilferent sized devices to accommodate a range of hand sizes. The wrist encircling band may be wrapped around any size wrist to any degree of tightness and, especially with the first embodiment, the finger engaging loops may be secured to the band in a number of positions to apply the desired amount of tension regardless of the length of the users hand. The ability to release the tension on the hand also facilitates the positioning and removal of the wrist encircling band as there is no lateral pull on the band when it is being fastened on or removed from the users wrist.

I claim:

1. A wrist restraint device, comprising:

a band-like member adapted to encircle the users wrist and having a pocket on the portion of the member covering the back of the wrist, the pocket being provided with a first opening along the edge thereof adjacent the users hand and a second opening on the opposite edge, the second opening being of greater size than the first opening;

at least one loop for encircling a finger of the user;

a cord secured at one end to the loop, extending along the back of the hand, and passing through the pocket, the second end of the cord being provided with a plurality of knots at spaced intervals; and

a retaining plate slideably received in the pocket through the second opening but larger than the first opening, the plate having a notch on one edge for engaging one of the plurality of knots.

2. The device according to claim 1 wherein there are a plurality of the loops and all the loops are secured to the first end of the cord.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS GEORGE I. MARLO, Primary Examiner i U.S. Cl. X.R. 27354B, 166 1 

